William Grant & Sons agrees deal to launch Grant’s in India

William Grant & Sons, the 130 year-old family run Scottish distiller, announced a deal with Modi Distilleries Limited to bottle and launch Grant’s Blended Scotch whisky in India.

Under the terms of the deal, Grant’s Scotch Whisky will be shipped in bulk from Scotland to Modi’s distillery at Modinagar in Uttar Pradesh, where it will be bottled and packaged before being sold nationwide. The brand will initially be sold from September in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra, Telengana, Goa, Karnataka and Maharastra.

According to IWSR global forecasts, India is expected to be one of the largest contributors to global whisky growth over the next 5 years. The Blended Scotch market in India is expected to grow to 5 million cases by 2021. Currently the scale of the market for Scotch brands bottled in India is ten times larger than those bottled in Scotland and imported.

James Pennefather, Managing Director William Grant & Sons India Pvt Ltd, said “This marks an important next phase of William Grant & Sons’ India market entry strategy. Having already established a successful portfolio of imported premium spirits such as Glenfiddich, Monkey Shoulder and Hendricks Gin in India, we decided that this is the right time to enter local production in the market. It is the first time that William Grant & Sons has entered local production in India, so we are delighted to be partnering for this with an established local family business, Modi Distilleries.”

Abhishek Modi, Executive Director Modi Distilleries Limited, said “This association with William Grant & Sons is a natural fit for our Company, since we have already established our quality credentials with brands such as Rockford Reserve and Artic Vodka. We look forward to working with William Grant & Sons to bring its leading international brand Grant’s Blended Scotch whisky to a new audience.”

Modi Distilleries is part of the Umesh Modi Group, which has an established track record of partnering with international businesses, including Revlon and Mundipharma, on their market entry strategies. Modi Distilleries was established in 1959 and currently produces the successful IMFL brands Rockford Reserve and Artic Vodka in a JV with the Italian spirits company Illva.

Today, the global premium spirits company William Grant & Sons is run by the fifth generation of the family that started it and distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including Grant’s Blended Scotch, the third largest selling Scotch whisky globally, as well as the world’s most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and other iconic spirits brands such as Monkey Shoulder, Hendrick’s Gin and Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey.

 William Grant & Sons operates in India through its 100% subsidiary William Grant & Sons (India) Pvt. Ltd. With one in every three bottles of Scotch single malt whisky consumed in India coming from its portfolio, William Grant & Sons has established a strong reputation in the market for premiumisation.

For more information on the company, please visit www.williamgrant.com